


Class Dismissed

by NikkiTe



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Background Relationships, Gladio in a button up shirt, Gladio with glasses, M/M, University AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-29
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-06 20:59:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12218850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikkiTe/pseuds/NikkiTe
Summary: University AU where Ignis Scientia is the Dean of Political Science and Gladio is a professor in Literature. Gladio has a tiny crush on the Dean, and Ignis does not recognize Gladio when he's not adhering to the dress code.Also their students totally ship them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this while having some down time at work. I needed something light after watching the play through of Episode Prompto. It won't be a super long fic but I hope you enjoy it :)  
> Please let me know what you think in the comments! <3 
> 
> Also, you can find me on Tumblr, please come say hi!  
> http://benelline.tumblr.com/

 

Eos University was as prestigious as universities came. It was almost impossible to get into it on your first try, unless you were brilliant. Being good was not enough, especially for the elite courses. Rumor has it that there was a waiting list to get on the waiting list for those courses. So unless someone dies, it was basically impossible for someone with less than impressive intellect.

 

There were two main campuses for the university - Lucis and Niflheim  -  as it was too big for just one campus to accommodate all the students in all the course.

 

 

If one would ask the students from the Niflheim campus, they prefered Lucis. Most said that Lucis felt brighter, and gave more freedom, while the professors over at The Niflheim campus felt more opressive and were practically slave drivers when it came to assignments.According to the Board of Trustees, these accusations were preposterous and hardly merited attention.

 

 

There were some courses that were available on both campuses,however. For those courses,the competition was fierce, but none more so than the Political Science course.  Most people saying that the competition between campuses was more intense than their competition with other schools. That either school was leagues above other universities was probably to blame. They didn't have any other rivals, so they faced each other to become better.

 

If you asked the Dean of Political Science in Lucis, however, he will tell you that Dean Ardyn Izunia from the Niflheim campus was a cut throat bastard hiding behind a sly smile.

 

Of course, Dr. Scientia would never say that on record.

 

His students however, knew of and felt his outright hatred for Ardyn. Every time they saw them together for campus visits, they saw the irritated look hidden behind his cool smile. It was something the freshmen didn't know of yet, but the seniors, oh they loved to go to forums where both deans were present. The snark behind carefully worded phrases as they debated their points, the verbal war that would murder armies that were not at their level, it was a very amusing and entertaining battle for the young intellectuals.

 

Despite their obvious bias for their dean, even they had to admit that Ardyn was a worthy, if not annoyingly sly, opponent. They would never tell their dean that, else everyone got additional research papers on their already overwhelming list of schoolwork.

 

Dr. Scientia was young. His students loved him for his brilliant mind. He was years younger than Ardyn but he kept him on his toes during those rare forums.

 

He was also very handsome. With his ashen brown hair that was styled to the last strand, nothing out of place, to his choice of fashion - most teachers dressed this way, but Dr. Scientia  just looked divine in his pressed shirts and dress shoes.

 

The girls adored his accent - one of the school mysteries is Dr Scientia having a secret girlfriend who was pregnant with just his voice. It was preposterous but the female populace of the school loved it.

 

The guys feared his deep green eyes. They were beautiful, entrancing even. But they were sharp as needles.  You don't want to be on the other end of his "look".

 

 There were many kinds, and the ones his student hated the most was the "that response was so stupid it doesn't deserve my attention" look and the "I can't believe this is his fourth year here, did he not learn anything" look. Of course there were many others, but the  students wouldn't mention them except in hushed conversations.

 

Despite his strictness and his obvious disdain for students who don't seem smart enough or studied enough to follow class discussions, Dr. Scientia's class was the most sought after in the course.

 

His classes, few and far between compared to the other professors, are always the first ones to fill during enlistment. Sometimes the higher ups would ask him to open up more classes but he would refuse, saying that he wanted to keep his student pool small so he could give them the attention and education they deserved.

 

Suffice to say, Ignis Scientia was well respected. He was also well feared and sought after by his students.

 

 

*

 

 

if you were a student at the Lucis campus, whichever course you took, it was impossible to miss Gladiolus Amicitia.

 

At a staggering height of 198cm, and musculature that would put the physical education professors to shame, he took all the attention in the room.

 

It didn't help that he was also very friendly. He was one of the nicest teachers on campus, and brilliant too.

 

His subject was Literature in the Humanities department. if that class wasn't already swarming with young ladies with minds eager to dissect words and thought, well they were now.

 

That bulk would not be hidden. Despite following regulation and wearing long sleeved dress shirts for his classes, most would say it was even more lewd than if he wore a t shirt. The buttons looked like they were on the verge of snapping with each movement. And those sleeves, those darned sleeves. He would roll them up slightly when he was feeling particularly hot duringthe summer classes. They clung tight to his forearm and his students couldn't help but imagine how that would look like on his biceps.

 

His voice and a gaze from his warm warm eyes could make a class quiet without any effort.

 

The ladies swooned when he read the lines out loud in class. Some biting on to a handkerchief to keep themselves from making embarrassing noises. His voice was liquid  honey, a hot chocolate drink on a cold winter day.

 

Most had no idea how long his hair was really. He kept it in a tight man bun to keep it tidy. He also wore glasses that somehow made him look older.

 

Some say his glasses are all that gives him his air of professionalism. But his students would argue that Professor Amicitia had the most creative mind in the whole Humanities department. He analyzed each phrase, each paragraph in the text and would give differing interpretations. He never belittled his students opinions no matter how disconnected it was from the text. He was always encouraging and he was just so nice.

 

Most freshmen took his class because he was the "hot" professor. But sophomores and seniors took his class because he was amazing and was an absolute darling of a teacher. It takes one class to know that he wasn't just a workout jock who got lucky and landed a teaching job. His  students would argue that he deserved to be Dean in a few years. He was just so brilliant.

 

If the Dr. Scientia in Political Science could do it, they didn't see why Professor Amicitia couldn't.

 

**

 

Gossip was very rampant on campus. People talked about Ardyn paying good money to the Board of Trustees, specifically Aldercap, to keep his position in Niflheim. People talked about how Aldercap and Caelum hated each other's guts and the board  was halved into two factions.

 

People talked about many things on campus, it was one of the many ways they could relax and get their minds off classes and homework and research papers for a few minutes a day.

 

Recently though, there was a new form of gossip.

 

It all started when the new curriculum for Political Science included a few credits in Humanities.

 

Within weeks of the new shift in curriculum, there were whispers. Whispers of how nice it would be if the hot Literature professor would date the uptight but brilliant Dean of Political science.

 

 

**

 

"They're basically shipping you with other teachers you know."

 

Ignis didn't bother looking up from the research paper he was currently grading. The pen scratching on paper was the only sound he gave in response to Noct's comment. However, the silence stretched on for a while, and all the time Ignis could feel Noctis' eyes on him. He was still waiting for a response it seemed. Better give him one before the boy turned into rock.

 

"Noct, would you care to clarify?" He asked then. His eyes were still on the paper on his desk. He circled one area that was glaringly wrong. But he didn't point out the clarification. The student should be able to work that one out on his own.

 

He heard an audible sigh. Honestly, if any of his students acted the same way Noctis was, he would not be pleased. But Noctis wasn't his student. Noctis was a student on campus yes, but he was under a different course.  He was a senior in the Game Design course, and everything related to his course, including the faculty and computer facilities, were all located in the building opposite the Political Science's. As such he had no business in this part of the campus. But they kind of grew up together, being neighbors and all. he was his oldest friend, and Ignis loved and  treated him like a younger brother.

 

He had more patience for Noctis than for anyone else to be honest.

 

So he allowed him to stay in his office, so long as he does not disturb Ignis' work. If a student had to come in for a consultation, he would have to ask Noctis to leave. But since no one else was occupying his time or his office, he let him be. Unfortunately, the papers wouldn't be grading themselves, so he still continued on with that task.

 

Another audible sigh, and then Noctis spoke again. "It means they're pairing you up with other teachers. Aren't you concerned about it even just a little?"

 

"Noct, if this is your idea of hoping to "crack" my look of... How did you put it? Ah. Like I had a stick up my arse, then you can stop. It hardly concerns me what my own students think of me as long as they learn," Ignis said, using his tone to signify his distaste for Noctis' crass way of speaking with regards to Ignis' propensity to be calm and stoic.

 

"Ignis, they're fantasizing about you and making up stories about you and the other teachers. Doesn't that like, bother you?"

 

Ignis shrugged. "Again, none of my concern. They're nothing but baseless stories, the board wouldn't care, and if they don't, then I won't either."

 

"Even if they pair you up with male teachers?"

 

Ignis' pen stilled, his lips pressed into a thin line. His face was calm, unreadable. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking. It didn't bother him that the students were "pairing" him off with other people. It was idle gossip for the students, and though he would prefer they not waste their time on something so insignificant, even he allowed for a few distractions. It gave his students a bit of a rest from all the studying and, in small doses it was alright.

 

"Noct," he said softly, finally putting down his pen and looking up to look at his friend. "Whether it is to a woman or a man, it is idle gossip. There is no truth in them and as long as I know that, then there is no cause for me to mind."

 

 "Huh, didn't expect that response."

 

Ignis raised a delicate eyebrow. "Oh? So how did you imagine this exchange instead?"

 

Noctis sighed again. "I was expecting you'd be surprised at least, and then go on a tirade about how students are wasting their time because I dunno... you're seeing anyone?"

 

This time the sigh came from Ignis' side. "Noct. Are you trying to fish for details about my romances? If you're having enough time to idly cradle this idea, then perhaps I should have a chat with your dean and mention an increase in assignments for the graduating class. Seems you're not busy enough."

 

"Hey..." Noctis crossed his arms. "That's playing dirty," he accused.

 

Ignis allowed a small smirk to curve the edge of his lips. He wasn't one to usually pull rank over Noctis but if his friend had so much idle time, he could use his brain power for much more productive things.

 

When it came to education, he was perhaps stricter on Noctis than he was on his own students.

 

"Was that all you came here for?" Ignis asked then, his eyes still on Noctis but his fingers already gripping his pen in a manner that indicated he was going to resume checking the paper on his desk soon enough.

 

It wasn't unusual for Noctis to come to his office. But usually he came here to sit on the couch (he usually lied down, feet propped up, and Ignis has all but given up on telling him to sit properly because it fell on deaf ears), to play an online game - for research he says.

 

Ignis believes him. He was in a game design course and it was perfectly acceptable to spend so much time on "research".

 

It was unusual for Noctis to hound Ignis with questions though. For the usually quiet young man to break his silence and ask him questions, there should be more than one yes?

 

 Ignis' brows came down slightly. It wasn`t a frown, at least not  yet. But Noctis should recognize it as a look that was sizing him up and trying to uncover what it was he was trying to do. Ignis can be perceptive if he wanted to. He recognized that his social skills were, though not particularly lacking, were slightly below his skills in the academe and his field. For how well he could read and analyze patterns and political reasonings, reading a person for social interactions were unexpectedly challenging for Ignis.

 

At least he knew Noctis enough to read him better than he did other people. It wouldn't do if he couldn't read his own childhood friend. The same could be said about Noctis. If there was anyone who understood Ignis better, it was him.

 

Noctis was regarding him with a level gaze, something he wasn't used to from the younger man. Noctis usually had a bored expression on his face, broken only by the interest that appeared there in the challenge of a new game. But a serious, even calculating gaze, was something that was not often found in those icy blue depths.

 

"Huh," Noctis finally spoke. He shrugged again and the gaze he was regarding Ignis with, broke. "My birthday is in a few days."

 

"I'm well aware." Well that was...unexpected. All this fuss just to remind Ignis that it was his birthday? Ignis was as organized as they came, all pertinent dates marked and color coded in his planner. Noctis' birthday was perpetually stamped on his calendar yearly, it might as well be a holiday.

 

A small smile graced Noct's lips as he moved to stand.

 

"It will be at your new apartment yes? Your father told me that much the last time I had the chance to meet with the Board of Trustees." Noctis just moved out this year,and to celebrate,he decided tomove his birthday celebration to his own apartment instead of at his family's home. Regis didn't seem saddened by it, he rather seemed happy that Noctis was starting to become more independent.

 

Noctis nodded. "Yeah,it's gonna be fun. You better be there Specs."

 

 Ignis sighed. As fond as he was of that nickname..."Better make sure none of my students hear that nickname. Or else I'll never hear the end of it."

 

Noctis chuckled as he pushed the chair back to it's original position. Ignis was pleased, at least Noctis remembered his penchant for keeping things in order.

 

"All your students know you call your glasses spectacles. So I'm sure I'm not the only one who has thought of that nickname. But I'm sure anyone else would be too scared of you and the additional requirements you'd rain down on them if they tease you about it,"Noctis said. He then pocketed his phone and walked towards the door. "Given that joint lecture and open forum with the Niflheim campus, I'm sure you'll be busy. I probably won't see you until my birthday so you better..."

 

"I will be there Noct," Ignis repeated as he waved a hand in Noctis' direction before the younger even finished his sentence."You know I don't miss your birthday for the world."

 

He was rewarded by a fond smile, and the door closed.

 

The things he did for Noctis. In all honesty, he didn't mind doing all of this for Noctis. Regis said that Ignis spoiled his son more than he did as a father. It wasn't just material, he often cooked his favorite dishes, and he gave Noctis time, time that was barely there as he struggled to fit in class after class after class in his accelerated modules in high school and college. But for Noctis, he was always there.

 

In this case, between his impossibly packed schedule planning the revised curriculum with the Humanities department to the joint open forum with Niflheim coming up, he really had no time to spare. But as it was, his present for Noctis was already prepared.

 

He already had a recipe for a cake ready, and a present to celebrate both his birthday and his new apartment. That present was already wrapped and had it's dedication letter prepared before he was even formally "invited" by Noctis to the party.

 

It was just how he did things. For Noct, he would do anything he could to make the younger boy happy.

 

 

**

  

 

Gladio closed the paperback that he was holding in his hand. "Any questions?" he asked his class. He could see them all keeping their books, notebooks, and laptops open. It was a common practice in his class that his students stayed behind to ask him questions for areas that were difficult, or consultations for their research papers. Gladio was very patient with his students and he really enjoyed discussing the many interpretations in literature.

 

Today was going to be an exception though.

 

"No questions?" he asked again. "Then that concludes today's class. Unfortunately, I can't stay. I have a meeting right after this and I can't be late for it."

 

He heard an audible moan of distress from his students and he offered them a small smile. "Sorry girls. As much as I'd love to stay and discuss things, I can't."

 

He hated doing this to them. He knew they loved his class and they loved literature if they can spend their time after class to talk to him. He was a student once and he only really stayed behind if he was truly interested in the subject. It was pretty common to cut classes when it was a class you didn't like.

 

He sighed and sat down behind his desk. He made a move to run his hand through his hair, then remembered that he couldn't because he had his hair up for class. He shut down his power point presentation on Interpretations of _Literaure Trough the Years_. He could hear his students shuffling out of the classroom, until it became all quiet. He shut down his computer. Given the choice ,he would have preferred to stay with his class today and not have to sit through another boring meeting with his department.

 

He put his laptop back into his bag and then heard the doors to the classroom open.

 

"I already said that I...."

 

"Glady!"

 

Gladio blinked and looked up. His features quickly melted to a fond look. "Iris," he greeted his baby sister as she walked up to his desk. "Your classes over?" he asked as he adjusted the cuff of his sleeves. He really hated formal wear. Sucks that this was the dress code for professors in this university.

 

"Yeah, we just got let out," Iris said as she stopped before the desk, eyes on her brother. "Professor Aranea was awesome today! We talked about so many new and undiscovered creatures. Her presentation about Nagas was sooooo interesting! And...!"

 

Gladio offered her a smile as he zipped up his bag. "I'd really love to stay and talk. But you know I have that meeting right after this.”

 

He hated discouraging his sister. She had finally found a course she was totally into. Who knew that his lovable and sweet little sister was interested in a Zoology?

 

And of all the classes of animals, she preferred studying the larger and more dangerous beasts?

 

If the trend continued, he may have to increase her gym training to make sure she knew how to defend herself against them. No helping if those animals could turn you into frogs, like the Nagas did. But at least she would be trained enough to know that she could bring an antidote or two to combat the effects of it, and a whole lot of elixirs.

 

He would make sure she had all the elixirs she would need and more if Aranea made good on her promise to her class and bring them to where their subject of study was. He prayed to all the Six that the plan will get scrapped. But if Iris' recent cheerfulness were any indication, then the plan getting scrapped was not a possibility.

 

"Yeah I know!" Iris said cheerfully. "I just wanted to check if you were aware of that new open forum they announced between our campus and Niff! They just put up the announcement on the bulletin boards!”

 

Truth be told, that the open forum had nothing to do with his subject of expertise and he truly had no reason to be interested in it at all. But he attended each one of them, all on his own free will. He wasn’t required to, unlike some of the students in the courses involved.

 

He had two reasons to attend it, neither had anything to do with his job.

  
One reason was Ardyn – he was always there. He hated the guy. Hated him because he looked like an old sleezebag and acted like one. He didn't trust him, and he didn't know why the board of trustees did. He didn’t know Ardyn personally, but he had a feeling he was one of the reasons why the bad rumors about oppressive teaching in Niflheim started in the first place. Ardyn had a way of speaking that made you feel like you were stupid, and not because he wanted to impart good information, no. He talked in a way that made you feel stupid, and that seemed to be like the end all be all of the conversation.

 

But he wasn’t a student and he was one of the few people blessed to never interact with Ardyn on a personal basis so that shouldn’t really bother him.

 

If he was going to be honest, however, it wasn't Ardyn that he hated. It was what he did. Not to people in general, but to Dr. Scientia. He openly flirted with the dean. His tone of speaking slowed to a drawl, almost teasing when he spoke to Ignis. It was annoying to see and he hated him for it.

 

Why he was annoyed by it, well, because he may be, just maybe, harboring a tiny crush on the Dean.

 

It was tiny, he was sure. He was just really impressed by the guy.

 

And that was his second reason for attending.

 

Even if Ardyn wasn’t there, just getting to see Dr. Scientia on the podium talk about the most boring aspects of Politics and the theories behind it, Gladio would drop everything to drop by the forum.

 

His smile at his sister got slightly wider. "Yeah, I know. I’m kinda looking forward to it. Ardyn always waltzes in here thinking he owns the place. Wanna see Dr. Scientia finally shut that trap of his for good and put Niff in it’s place."

 

Iris giggled. "Never thought I'd ever hear you say that in school."

 

"Ardyn's an exception, that two faced bastard."

 

Iris laughed harder this time as Gladio finally stood from his desk and slung his laptop bag over his shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where Ignis finally meets a colleague and does not recognize him despite the very, ahem, distinct physique.

 

 

The days went by really quickly with all the papers he had to check and all the changes in the curriculum he had to fix and finalize for the Humanities department. Before Ignis knew it, it was already the day for Noctis’ birthday.

 

He had gone home early today, a sight that was uncommon throughout the year as he was usually first in and last out in the faculty. But his co-workers knew that this was that the day - that one day of the year that Ignis went home early. It was the same day every year. For a man who never went home early or took a day off, even for his own birthday or Christmas. No one in the faculty knew why he was always in a hurry to head home on this one day.

 

Maybe it was an anniversary? Perhaps a special day with a special someone? Maybe that person had passed that's why he kept her a secret? An illegitimate child’s special day?

 

No one knew the real reason but everyone had a theory, and those theories ranged from the random to the bizarre.

 

While Ignis dubbed idle gossip as the past time of students, it was obviously the favorite past time of some members of the faculty as well.

 

He wasn't aware of such rumors, and even if he was, there was hardly any free time in his already packed schedule to even grace it with his attention. He had more important matters at hand to put his careful attention to – Noctis’ birthday cake for example.

 

Noctis' birthday cake was easy enough to make. Ignis had chosen to make Strawberry Shortcake this year.

 

It was simple enough to make and tasted good enough for a wide variety of palettes. Noctis  didn't like overly sweet things, and neither did his father Regis. But recently Noctis was becoming close with this student from the Niff campus who loved sweet things, Prompto was his name if Ignis remembered correctly.

 

He had only met Prompto briefly during one of his visits to Noctis' apartment when he offered to drop off some extra pasta at Noct's because he had made too much. He seemed like a fun loving guy, obviously easy going. Noct wasn't one to make friends easily and Ignis was glad he found someone his age who shared his love for video games.

 

 Suffice to say Ignis was not a big fan of video games and was thankful that Noctis finally found someone who thoroughly enjoyed the games they played. Ignis was not the best company when it came to video games, it’s not one of his strongest points if he had to say so himself.

 

So a well balanced cake was in order. Should Prompto desire more sweetness to it, he had additional icing he had packed and prepared, ready to give to the young blond if he asked. The cake itself was not overly sweet and would be enough for the birthday boy.

 

 Ignis carefully packaged the cake in a sleek black box. He was fussy with packaging too, needing to make sure that everything looked perfect. It was just his personality to make sure everything was just right. Noctis always told him it wasn’t necessary, and that he would eat anything Ignis made (except vegetables those daemons) out of a paper plate and they would still taste as good.

 

With his usual pressed long sleeves and tie, sans the coat, Ignis tucked Noctis' present under his arm, the cake carefullly packed into a small cooling bag slung over his shoulder, Ignis finally made his way to Noct's new apartment.

 

It wasn't that long a drive. Even taking the bad traffic congestion that occurred in the city center around these hours, Ignis still made it to Noct's in just under an hour.

 

He turned the corner and made his way to the parking area reserved for Noctis' apartment complex. A delicate eyebrow was raised when he saw that the parking area was marked full. That was strange. Every year, for Noctis' birthday, he was aware that most of his guests  - mostly family friends and colleagues of Regis - had chauffeurs and had little need for a parking area. Regis' property had a wider area for parking than this sorry lot designated for Noctis' apartment but Ignis shouldn't complain. He didn't live here.

 

Besides, there was a chance that all these cars were destined for somewhere else, Noctis wasn't the only tenant in this apartment complex after all.

 

Ignis sighed and moved the car in reverse. He remembers passing by an area where he could park. It was pricey, more than the usual rate since he had to pay by the hour, but he didn't want to be late for Noctis' party.

 

He carefully monitored his speed, careful to stay within the speed limit as he hurried along the street. His brows were slightly furrowed as he worried for the parking space. When he spotted the parking space, he breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted an empty space near the entrance.

 

"Thank the Six," he breathed as he made his way to the parking space. It would be a disaster (it won't) if he was late to his friend's party for the first time. Ignis, though slightly flustered from his short detour, fixed his shirt and made sure he looked presentable for what  he assumed was the usual party at the Caelums - a nice fancy dinner with only the closest friends and family.

 

He was ready to head to Noctis' usual party.

 

**

 

It was not the usual party.

 

It was a far cry from the usual parties he attended at Regis' manor, Ignis realized even before he stepped into Noctis' apartment. Alarm bells should have sounded when he heard the loud thumping music from the corridor. It was a miracle none of the neighbors complained, it was 7 pm and Noct's apartment was causing the whole floor to vibrate.

 

But he trudged on, hoping against hope that it wasn’t what he feared it was.

 

It was.

 

Noctis’ apartment resembled a bar instead of an apartment. Lights were down, people were dancing to, what Ignis would refer to as ear shattering, loud music, and drinking down questionable amounts of alcohol.

 

He was not prepared for this. This was the last thing he wanted to see at the end of a long workday.

 

Now he was nursing a headache from the loud music, his eyes struggling behind his glasses to make out figures in the darkness. His cake was safely tucked in the refrigerator in Noctis' kitchen, but he kept Noctis' present with him, not trusting to leave it when the place was packed with people he didn't recognize. Not to say that the people Noctis trusted were thieves, but one couldn't be too sure in this economy.

 

Besides, Noctis may be trusting but Ignis was not.

 

He had tried looking for the birthday boy in the crowd, or even his father. That was an impossible task. Regis, was no where in sight. In fact, none of the other guests that Ignis was familiar with were there. Most of the guests were young, probably Noctis’ friends from school. Ignis wasn’t aware that Noctis had this many friends in university, as he had only met Prompto, but Ignis wasn’t complaining. It was good for Noctis to spread his wings.

 

He resigned himself to looking for Noctis after the party slowed down, which, at this rate, seemed like it would go on into the night. Tomorrow promised to be a slow day at the department, so losing a few hours of sleep for his childhood friend should be ok. Noctis’ birthday came only once a year after all.

 

Ignis’ fingers gripped the cup in his hand. He didn’t know what the drink was, but from the smell of it, it was a randomly put together concoction of alcohol and fruit drink that had a likely chance of destroying his liver.

 

He also didn’t know who gave it to him, only that it was thrust into his hand the moment he came in.

 

He sighed and leaned back against the soft cushions of the couch he was currently sitting on. Even in the darkness, he could at least navigate his way through Noctis’ living room and find the couch. The music was loud everywhere in the apartment anyway so might as well find a comfortable place to stay. The living room was now the designated dance room, with the couches moved to rest by the walls and the tables and other breakable items all stashed away to the sides.

 

There was now an area at the very center of the room where a few, perhaps twenty or so, people, could comfortably dance. It was empty at the moment and Ignis thanked whichever Astral was looking down on him in mercy.

 

If people danced, that would increase the temperature in the room, and Ignis was truly not too fond of being sweaty on top of being irritated by the music and darkness.

 

He looked down at his sorry excuse of a drink. The ice cubes had already melted and lessened the bright green color of the concoction, making it look more unappetizing to drink. Ignis sighed and looked up.

 

And that was when he saw him.

 

Among the many guests that Noctis had over for his party, this one man stood out. He was cradling a drink in his hand, and was standing close to one of the few tables pushed to the side to make room for the make shift dance floor.

 

He wasn’t alone. There was a lady standing with him, with short brown hair and a slim figure. They were chatting and seemed like they were getting along fine. The girl was a few heads smaller than the guy, but who wasn’t?

 

He was at least 6 ft 5, Ignis wouldn’t be able to tell unless he got close enough, but it was a good enough estimate. He had long hair that curled and stuck out in varied directions. Usually Ignis would be irritated by the sight of unruly hair, but this was an exception. He couldn’t really care, not when his eyes moved down to the body that was barely concealed by the black tank top the man was wearing.

 

The man was huge, and not in a bad way. Even from across the room, Ignis could see the muscles ripple with each small movement the man made.

 

Even more impressive was the huge tattoo that seemed to stretch across his whole back. Of course Ignis could only see parts of his back and his arms given the man’s choice of clothing.  But the design looked continuous, and he would bet that it was one large tattoo of some sort.

Ignis managed to catch himself before his eyes settled on the man's bum, hugged tight and snug by the leather pants he was wearing. It was no surprise to him that he had a preference for large rugged men who packed more muscle than he did , if his last fling with Ulric from Physical Education was any indication.

 

Noctis didn't know his preference for buff men, and neither did Ignis to be honest. When others had reached puberty and started their experimental stage, Ignis was busy studying to get into advanced classes.

 

He never had the luxury of time to waste on romance or desires of the flesh. So he never had the chance to find out what his own preference was. Call him a late bloomer, but it was onluy recently that he even entertained the thought of sex as pleasure. His other hobbies and his work had kept him busy. Perhaps, reaching his goal – becoming the dean of Political Science – had given him more space to breathe. Perhaps it had given him his chance to explore.

 

And explore he did. Nyx was nice enough to keep everything under wraps. He wasn’t talkative about his exploits and Ignis was thankful for that. What transpired between them was purely physical, more exploratory in Ignis’ case.

 

But he shouldn't oggle men's bums,  especially a stranger's, and not so openly for crying out loud. He wasn't a horny teenager even if he was a late bloomer.

 

On the other hand, it wasn't his fault that this stranger's bum, and the rest of him really, was so appealing.

 

As his attention was focused on the stranger, Ignis unconsciously lifted his beverage to his lips and took a sip of the worst tasting alcohol he had ever ingested in his life. Ignis promptly coughed, his throat rebelling at the revolting burn of cheap alcohol down his throat. Noctis wouldn't have bought cheap alcohol, so his best guess was that one of the guests had brought it with them.

 

He pulled out his handkerchief and dabbed at his lips. He didn't spill any, but doing so allowed him to try and gain an ounce of his composure back. When he was satisfied, Ignis smoothed out his handkerchief and slipped it back into his pocket.

 

When he looked up, however, his breath caught in his throat.

 

The man he was checking out had turned around and was facing him.

 

 If Ignis thought his back was appealing? Well the man's front was the definition of mouth watering.

 

The tank top clung on to every bit of muscle and even in the dim light of the room, Ignis could see the curves of his pectorals. His tattoo, oh Astrals, extended to his forearms and to the base of his neck. Ignis could already feel hot just imagining how far that tat went across his chest. He looked up at the man's face, because the other option was moving his eyes down, and he didn't trust himself to look that far down yet. He had somehow avoided looking at his bum, so he should be able to avoid looking at his crotch.

 

So he moved his eyes up.

 

The man had a square jaw and a well groomed chinstrap beard and Ignis found that his unruly hair framed his face really well. He had a piercing in his ear, adding to his bad boy look.

 

And then there were his eyes his eyes.

 

His eyes.

 

By the Six.

 

Those were the warmest browns he had ever seen. They were intense and warm, a beautiful contrast to that rugged face.

 

Ignis could have stared forever and might have drowned in them if he had not realized one thing  - that the reason he could tell what the man's eye color was was because the man had come closer and was now standing right in front of him.

 

It also meant that he was meeting his gaze. Which meant that he had probably seen Ignis' unashamed ogling.

 

Ignis felt his face immediately flush red at being caught staring and he tried to look away, but it was impossible with the man's gaze locked on his.

 

"Hey."

 

Oh Astrals, even his voice felt like sin itself.

 

"He...." his voice came out scratchy, Ignis blamed it on cheap alcohol and not his nerves. He was never nervous. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Hello."

 

The man raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Didn't expect to see you here. Kinda nice to see a familiar face," he said as he placed his hand on his hip.

 

"A familiar face?"Ignis asked, blinking as he tried to make sense of what the man had just said. "I don't believe we have met," he said, trying to keep his voice as polite as he could. He hasn't, he was sure. If he met someone who wore tank tops like they belonged on their body like second skin, he surely would have remembered.

 

The man looked at him, eyes wide in surprise. Then he quickly regained his composure and flashed Ignis the sexiest coy grin he had ever seen. "Care to dance with a stranger then?"

 

Ignis raised an eyebrow. "I don't dance," he said, even as his heart thudded against his chest and screamed at him to just go and dance the night away with this man.

 

"Don't or can't?"

 

There was a challenge in those words and Ignis huffed. He didn't like to be challenged. Well, if he was going to challenge Ignis Scientia to a dance off, he would be in for a surprise.

 

"Don't. but since you're implying that I can't, then I shall show you that I, in fact, can dance." Ignis stood up and reached up to adjust his tie and collar. He fished out Noct’s present from beside him and put it inside the drawer of the desk right beside the couch he was sitting on. No one would be looking through the furniture, it should be a safe place to keep the present until he was able to retrieve it at a latter hour.

 

"You're certainly over dressed for the ocasion," the man said as he moved back to give Ignis some space and to lead the way to the dance flood.

 

"I am not. You are simply under dressed," Though I am certainly not complaining, Ignis thought as he followed him. Now that they were both standing, he could finally seethe clear height difference. Ignis was tall, but this man was even taller than he is.

 

He was also really broad, his bulk dwarfing Ignis. Ignis had a runner's body, slender but fit, and had enough muscle in the right places. This man was just deliciously buff all over.

 

The music had begun again as they entered the makeshift dance floor and Ignis could see more people finally make their way to the dance floor too.

 

"It's gonna get crowded, stay close," the man said to him, almost a whisper, or maybe it was just his voice, because there was no way he could hear a whisper with the blare of the music over the sound system.

 

But Ignis could not ponder on that idea for long because soon the man had stepped closer and his hand found purchase on his waist. His hand was large and warm, and absolutely distracting.

 

"You always this touchy and familiar with strangers?" Ignis asked, keeping his eyes focused on the man's collar bones to avoid looking up at his face.

 

The man shrugged. "Hell no, only those who fancy my attention," he said in a tone that made Ignis feel a rather pleasant shiver run down his spine. He could hear the smirk in his voice, he didn't need to see it to know it was there on the handsome stranger’s face.

 

"I take it that you think you're my type? You sound so sure," Ignis dared to tease back as he finally let that hand guide him and he swayed with the music.

 

Standing so close to the man, he had to move his hands somehow and he placed them on the man's chest, fighting down a whimper when he felt how firm and rock solid his pectorals were.

 

The man chuckled, the sound a soft rumble close to his ear despite the music blaring around them. "Less talking and more dancing," the man suggested instead of answering Ignis' question.

 

And boy, could he dance. The hand on his hip was joined by the other, on the other side of his hips and Ignis felt a renewed flush on his cheeks when he was guided to a slow but deliberate sway of the hips.

 

 _Do not get a hard on here Scientia,_ he muttered to himself as the man swayed with him. The man’s hands guiding him whenever he lagged in his steps. Ignis made sure to keep a careful distance between their groins. He had to put limits, on himself of course.

 

The music was loud, but it started off slow and their slow swaying worked. But as the pace picked up, the man had another idea in mind.

 

“Think fast,” he said with a smirk and then he stepped back, hands leaving Ignis’ hips. One hand moved up to his hand and clasped it tight.

 

Ignis’ eyes widened as he realized what the man was going to do, and barely had a second to move his feet as he was dragged into a spin. The man was strong, and Ignis would have stumbled forward if he wasn’t fast enough.

 

He allowed the man to spin him and let out a small huff when the spinning stopped. “Warn a man,” he muttered as he used his free hand to fix his glasses.

 

“I did,” the stranger said amusedly. “And you didn’t let me down. Good dancers are quick on their feet.”

 

They danced to the beat of the music for some time, the man moving Ignis using sudden tugs that Ignis answered with flawless dance moves and with a perfect reaction time.

 

Admittedly the man was a good dancer and Ignis was truly impressed he could move so much with such a big muscle mass. It also didn’t help that Ignis was hopelessly attracted to his physique.

 

The music slowed down after a while and the man had pulled him back into his arms. There was hardly any space between them now, as they both let the music take over their steps. They had fallen back to their slow swaying, their chests heaving as they tried to even out their breathing.

 

Ignis could feel strands fall from his perfectly styled hair, but he didn’t really bother fixing it. He was sweating and he could feel his body warm all over from the physical exertion. But the man before him was no different. He could see the clear sheen of sweat on his arms and on his chest. He wanted to lean in and touch, lick, do something to taste the man, but he didn’t, as he still had a sliver of his self control left.

 

“You having fun?” the man asked him. Ignis was happy to note that he sounded as breathless as he seemed to be.

 

Ignis nodded. He was, wasn’t he? “It’s just kind of strange to be having so much fun with a man who’s name I do not yet know.”

 

The man let out a soft chuckle and tugged Ignis again, this time pulling him out wide and slow before pulling him back towards him. It was a slow turn, unlike the one they did before where Ignis had to think fast or he would stumble.

 

He was pulled back and Ignis was surprised that the man changed their position with this turn. Ignis’ back was now pressed against the man’s, and he could feel the man’s strong thighs, his powerful hips, and  … _oh Astrals, was that a hard on?_

Ignis took a deep breath, trying to still his own racing heart.

 

But he didn’t get a chance to think as the man leaned close in his ear and whispered, “Name’s Gladiolus Amicitia, it was really nice seeing you here _Dr. Scientia_.”

 

And just like that Ignis felt like someone dumped cold water on him. And in his moment of shock, that he was dancing, not only with a stranger, but a _colleague,_ he scrambled away and ran as fast as he can.

 

How could he have been so stupid?! How could he not have recognized a man he was supposed to be meeting in a few days?! 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't beta'd and written via my phone. so I hope there weren't a lot of mistakes.  
> Please let me know what you think ^^


End file.
